Sound In Motion is an independent electronic music festival presented by our friends at StudioFeed, a non-profit Toronto arts collective made up of members of the local music ecosystem. The festival is happening July 13th-15th at various venues in downtown Toronto (including a beach!) and will be featuring the likes of John Roberts, Sammy Dee, Francis Harris, Black Light Smoke, Dualism, Demas, and more… alongside some fine local artists such as Pursuit Grooves, Knowing Looks, Murr (feat. Rosina), Arthur Oskan, and others. We’ll be there to capture the event so check back here (+ follow our Twitter and Facebook pages) each day to see how the event is unfolding!
MissRuckus recently caught up with StudioFeed’s dedicated founder, John Alexiou, to learn more about the festival…
What are your thoughts on the electronic music scene in Toronto?
The talent in the city is immense, and the promoters and labels who are pushing boundaries to bring in fresh sounds are really the unsung heroes. People need to recognize that there is a big difference between corporate electronic music that is coming out of the big festivals which are trying to maximize profit, and authentic independent music that comes from the gut. It may take a little longer to find, but the search is well worth it.
Can you tell us more about StudioFeed’s concept of ‘local music ecosystem’?
The local music ecosystem is a term we are rolling with that describes all of the individual entities (labels, artists, studios, shops, designers, academics, technologists, etc.) that have a stake in the health of Independent Music. It’s time for this group to unite and develop infrastructure for those who care about music first.
Tell us what this festival is all about and why you decided to put it on.
This festival is about forward thinking electronic music supported by members of the community. Running alongside our music events is a short film showcase (SIMReels on Friday night), and a technology showcase (running during our Sugar Beach party) that really display the strength of our innovators – musically, visually, and technologically.
We are also holding a panel event on Sunday which discusses the role Music plays in crystalizing positive social change. At that event, we will introduce our campaign for a Centre for Independent Music in Toronto (a community space). We have been working with an architect and two universities to finalize this campaign, and we are extremely excited to be introducing it. Ultimately, that is the backbone of StudioFeed – building infrastructure that supports independent music. Oh, and it’s going to be a killer weekend party !
Why is it important for the festival to be non-profit and independent?
The non-profit status of our event is something that fits within our mandate. It is an indication to the festival goer that we are not in the “business” of putting on events, but rather are working with the community to showcase Music, first. Being independent is something we are fiercely adamant about. Our definition is very simple: independent implies not being owned by a public company. All of our partners, artists, labels and promoters are operating independent of major corporate sponsorship. Why does this matter? It’s no secret that corporations are co-opting authentic underground music for “branding” purposes. This is especially evident in the world of electronic music – one man shows are selling out stadiums and corporations are smelling the marketing pull. If we allow this to happen, perhaps our most authentic form of communication (music) will be nothing more than a tool for selling products – this is a topic that has been percolating among my friends and I for many years.
Who are some of the local promoters you are collaborating with for the festival?
We are working with two stellar promoters directly (breakandenter and The Deep North) and many indirectly. You’d be surprised how many Music focused people in the city are gravitating towards our message. Sarah Lamb (one half of HushLamb) has been a massive contributor to the artistic direction of our festival, and if you’ve been to any of their events, you will understand that Sarah and her crew make no compromises when it comes to Music focused events. We are really looking forward to collaborating with more promoters in the months and years to come… as long as you are in it for the Music (first), our arms are wide open.
How did you go about deciding on which artists to feature at the festival?
Sarah (Lamb) and her crew have great connections with massively talented artists around the world, breakandenter (Erin Berg, Andrew Lochhead and Brad Spacinsky) have been one of the most respected crews in Toronto for many years, and The Deep North are absolutely on top of things – they are bringing a fresh important energy to the city nd they are a relentless collective of promoters that StudioFeed is proud to be working with. To sum up, put all of us in a room, get a “wish list” of artist names, fire up SoundCloud, pour some drinks and let the fun begin.
Who are some of the artists to watch for at the festival?
In terms of artists at the festival, literally every one of them (local and international) is a standout. We feature live acts and DJs from across Europe, USA, and of course, Canada. Every artist on the bill is talented, dedicated and has a global following. Each have released on (or in some cases are the chiefs of) deeply respected labels. Spend some time and navigate through our web platform – it’s a great launching pad!
